SUMMARY: Sunscreen Safety. A JAMA study posted a few days ago (May 6, 2019) that investigated if the active ingredients in sunscreen of FOUR commercially available products gets absorbed into the human blood stream. Spoiler alert: ALL 4 of the sunscreen chemicals tested (avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, or ecamsule) were absorbed into the blood stream within one days use and in amounts greater than ever thought, exceeding amounts the FDA considers as Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRASE) which is 0.5 ng/mL. This post details –> –>WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW and provides LINKS TO TWO RESOURCES YOU CAN USE FOR CHOOSING SAFER SUNSCREENS<– <– I won’t unduly burden this post with the [Matta et al 2019] study results, but you need to to know that the researchers tested different formulations for the chemicals: two different sprays, one lotion, and one cream to see if formulary mattered for skin absorption. It did not. SYSTEMIC CONCENTRATIONS GREATER THAN 0.5 ng/mL WERE REACHED FOR ALL 4 PRODUCTS AFTER 4 APPLICATIONS ON DAY 1. CNN reported on this study and said that “the amount used was twice the amount that would be applied in what the scientific community considers real-world conditions.” But the authors of the study say the amount they used is in accordance with the product usage instructions, and it is an amount that is commonly used at the beach. The authors note that it is not known what the clinical effect of plasma concentrations for these active ingredients in excess of 0.5 ng/mL means for health, so further research is needed. The FDA agrees and has proposed a new rule which requires evaluation of suncreen chemcial absorption considering reproductive, developmental, and carcinogenic effects. The authors of the study note that the study results do not indicate that individuals should refrain from the use of sunscreen despite the absorption amounts exceeding the threshold established by the FDA that permits potentially waiving some nonclinical toxicology studies for sunscreens. Hmmm… So, if you going to continue to use sunscreen, what sunscreen ingredients are you going to USE, or AVOID? I am also interested in what products you TRY and your thoughts about them! LMK in the comments below!
Tag Archives: Toxins
Autism, autoimmune, cognition, Alzheimer’s and other neurological concerns of our times
Summary: The article, [Handley, j.b.Handleyblog.com, April 2, 2018], is a must read for anyone interested in autism and/or autoimmune conditions including cognition, Alzheimer’s and other neurological concerns so prevalent in our times. Handley’s article will make you think twice about healthcare shots and the power of the microbiome to mitigate immune system damage and dsyfunctionality=&4=& for autism: =&5=&role of immune activation events for vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants (in utero via maternal vaccines, as well as post birth vaccinations=&6=&=&7=&[Mold et al 2018] As well, autism is strongly linked to gut dysbiosis thus Handley’s article addresses, autoimmune and neurological interested audiences listen up: That immune activating event(s) can cause gut dsybiosis, that aluminum is also found in the brains of neurological diseases including=&14=&aluminum in the brains of individuals who died of familial Alzheimer’s disease=&15=&mediating gut microbiome inflammation using diet. Leading light Alzheimer’s researcher [Exley 2017 Editorial] notes: “Alzheimer’s disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging in the absence of a brain burden of aluminum.” His editorial can be read here: Aluminum Should Now Be Considered a Primary Etiological Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease Truth be told, healing dietary tenets that I teach are baseline for the chronic disease mitigation, autoimmune and autism healing diets (SCD, GAPS, FODMAPs, etc), and there are anecdotally plenty that see benefit of microbiome dietary intervention. These diets remove dietary aluminum, and below I note where you’ll find it. I also give substitutions for baking powder which contains aluminum. Handley’s article also contains The Three Letters, sent in 2017 to caution American public health authorities, authored by three of the most important scientists in the field of aluminum adjuvant toxicity — Dr. Christopher Shaw of Canada, Dr. Chris Exley of England, and Dr. Romain Gherardi of France. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or just someone trying to get their arms around the microbiome — diet — health link, Handley’s article is a great read. Accordingly, my post, focusing on autism, autoimmune, cognition, Alzheimer’s and other neurological concerns of our times, will only summarize a few pertinent salient points of Handley’s post.
How Aluminum Adjuvant in Vaccines Can Cause Autism
In sum, “Five clear, replicable, and related discoveries explaining how autism is triggered have formed an undeniably clear picture of autism’s causation, and possibly ways to alleviate the symptoms, too. Most of the research that has created this understanding has been published in the last 36 months, and largely from international scientists in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Israel, and China… Published studies are showing that autism is caused by an immune activation event. The adjuvant in vaccines — aluminum adjuvant — can activate the brain’s immune system and is far more neurotoxic than previously realized — all the new science has been published in just the last few years. Aluminum can cause IL-6, the key cytokine implicated in autism. Chinese scientists — for the first time anywhere in the world — used a vaccine to trigger an immune activation event, and recorded elevated levels of IL-6 in rats… Vaccines, administered early and often, are igniting immune activation event after immune activation event. [Handley, j.b.Handleyblog.com, April 2, 2018] International Scientists Have Found Autism’s Cause. What will Americans do?
“…while the aluminium content of each of the 5 brains [of people with autism] was shockingly high it was the location of the aluminium in the brain tissue which served as the standout observation…The new evidence strongly suggests that aluminium is entering the brain in ASD [autism spectrum disorders] via pro-inflammatory cells which have become loaded up with aluminium in the blood and/or lymph, much as has been demonstrated for monocytes at injection sites for vaccines including aluminium adjuvants.”
A “monocyte” is a type of white blood cell, of which one form of monocyte is a “macrophage.” A macrophage can be thought of as the garbage man of the immune system, eating up foreign substances, cell debris, etc. As you will see in a moment, macrophages appear to be playing a critical and devastating role in triggering autism, serving to escort aluminum injected from a vaccine directly into the brain, where it can disrupt brain development and trigger autism.
How Much Aluminum is in Our Brains?
Here’s the evidence for aluminum in autism and Alzheimer’s brains.
For autism, [Mold et al 2018]: “Aluminium-selective fluorescence microscopy was used to identify aluminium in brain tissue in 10 [autism] donors. While aluminium was imaged associated with neurones it appeared to be present intracellularly in microglia-like cells and other inflammatory non-neuronal cells in the meninges, vasculature, grey and white matter. The pre-eminence of intracellular aluminium associated with non-neuronal cells was a standout observation in autism brain tissue and may offer clues as to both the origin of the brain aluminium as well as a putative role in autism spectrum disorder.
North America Disease Cluster, NASA Simulations Goddard Space Flight Center
SUMMARY: The dream is to meld the two technologies: disease cluster, NASA! That would be NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center AND Goggle Maps simulated hotspots of high disease risk clustering! This post is for repository but enjoy the NASA hurricane sand, water and air video, (see PDF explanation here) and PNAS High Disease Cluster Hotspots Map in North America! The NASA technology could be used for a visual tool to help explain the disease cluster map considering air and water toxin transfer impact to disease risk. The disease cluster map is a simulated spatial distribution of disease risks, overlaid onto a base map of North America, retrieved March 11, 2011, from Google Maps. Pink and red colors indicate simulated hotspots of high disease risk clustering. See the related article by Wright and Wang on pages 5488–5491. The online link for the Hurricane Aerosol video is “2017 Hurricanes and Aerosols Simulation”. This post is a follow-up to my post discussing all children exceeding cancer benchmark levels for certain toxins, and is for repository purposes.
Here are the reference links and some pics for disease cluster, NASA: from the video and PNAS article on disease cluster in North America!
SUMMER 2017: SIGNALS OF WEATHER EXTREMA SHOWN IN THE AEROSOL FIELD.
PDF explanation for SUMMER 2017: SIGNALS OF WEATHER EXTREMA SHOWN IN THE AEROSOL FIELDS.
Roundup of Healthy Holiday Trays bc All Kids Exceeded Benchmark CA Levels
Summary: I don’t write a lot about toxin loads but should. They affect all of us and this study by UC Davis [Vogt et al, 2008] found that for children, the cumulative toxin load in all 364 children evaluated for 11 food based toxins in 44 foods, exceeded cancer benchmark levels for arsenic, dieldrin, DDE (a DDT metabolite), and dioxins, AND 10% exceeded mercury levels! In addition, for preschool aged children 2-4 years, OVER 95% exceeded cancer benchmark levels for acrylamide and they fared worse than the 5—7 yr age group. Acrylamide is a cooking byproduct found in processed foods like potato, tortilla chip and processed grains). So… while I don’t write often about toxins, going into the holiday season when we likely are eating even more of the foods contributing to the toxin burden, I wanted to remind all of the reality of these loads particularly in our children. So here is a Roundup of Healthy Holiday Trays ALL kids will luv! Try them since ALL 364 kids exceeded cancer benchmark levels of toxins in this UC Davis study! Instead of the processed foods and chips, these gems (anytime of the year really) will draw your children to less toxin loaded foods. Be sure to use EWG Dirty Dozen lists! I also like the UC Davis researcher recommendations to reduce these toxin loads: Vary diet to help protect us from accumulating too much of any one toxin since different toxins are applied to different fruit and vegetables. Acrylamides are relatively easy to remove from the diet. They form in chips and processed grains. Also reduce consumption of animal meat and fats, which may contain high levels of pesticide DDE and other persistent organic pollutants, and switch to organic milk. Eat smaller fish, lower on the food chain, which generally have lower mercury levels. Good SMASH fish are: Salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardine, and herring.
Healthy Holiday Trays
Instead of the foods contributing to high cumulative cancer toxin loads in our children (like processed foods, processed grains, and chips and grains) try a tray or two of these gems and see how your children are drawn to less toxin loaded foods.
Be sure to use EWG Dirty Dozen lists (also below)!
Consider using lactose-free cheeses, such as those used in the SCD diet:
The Cumulative Food Toxin Load UC Davis study (currently the EPA looks only at individual toxin risk):
The study, Cancer and non-cancer health effects from food contaminant exposures for children and adults in California: a risk assessment also discussed in this article, Kids may risk cancer from toxins in food looked at cumulative toxin load in children for 11 food based toxins in 44 foods and found that all of the 364 children exceeded cancer benchmark levels for arsenic, dieldrin, DDE (a DDT metabolite), and dioxins. Over 95% of preschool aged children 2-4 years exceeded levels for acrylamide (a cooking byproduct found in processed foods like potato, tortilla chip and processed grains) and 10% exceeded mercury levels. The preschool age group also had significantly higher estimated intakes of 6 of 11 compounds compared to school-age children age 5-7. Even relatively low exposures can greatly increase the risk of cancer or neurological impairment. Pesticide exposure was particularly high in tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers, grapes, lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, dairy, pears, green beans, and celery. The results of this study demonstrate a need to prevent exposure to multiple toxins in young children to lower their cancer risk. The 11 toxin compounds looked at were: metals, arsenic, lead, and mercury; pesticides chlorpyrifos, permethrin, and endosulfan; persistent organic pollutants dioxin, DDT, dieldrin, and chlordane; and the food processing byproduct acrylamide. The cohort was 207 preschool-age children (2–4 years), 157 school-age children (5–7 years), parents of young children (n=446), and older adults (n=149). young children.
To mitigate the toxins load, the researchers recommend:
Vary diet to help protect us from accumulating too much of any one toxin since different toxins are applied to different fruit and vegetables.
Also reduce consumption of animal meat and fats, which may contain high levels of pesticide DDE and other persistent organic pollutants, and switch to organic milk. Despite the DDT ban 40 years ago, the study showed significant persistence and risk of legacy DDE exposure. While mercury is most often found in fish, accumulation varies greatly by species. Smaller fish, lower on the food chain, generally have lower mercury levels.
In addition, acrylamides are relatively easy to remove from the diet. They form in chips and processed grains.
Lets protect our children!
Best in health through awareness.
References in order of appearance:
Cancer and non-cancer health effects from food contaminant exposure for children and adults in California: a risk assessment.
2017 EWG Clean Dirty list
SUMMARY: Here it is, the 2017 EWG Clean Dirty list… Buy produce to the EWG Clean/Dirty list to preclude the most toxin loads! Also, consider those that are most dirty for growing in your garden or buying at clean farm markets!
The big changes from last year… Spinach jumps to second most dirty and pears appear for the first time…
2017 EWG Clean Dirty list (full list here)
The Dirty Dozen, in order of greatest to least toxin load, is: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and potatoes.
Here’s a YouTube for how to grow potatoes in a container!
And spinach, kale, and other greens (as well as herbs like basil, parsley rosemary and thyme), grow well in simple containers on the deck near the kitchen which makes for easy daily harvest! Matter of fact, so too does an organic vegetable soil bag!
EASY, delic, give it a try!
Best in health,
Microbiome, Emulsifiers, IBD & Metabolic Syndrome
SUMMARY: Don’t be duped into believing diet has nothing to do with your disease, or in preventing disease. When the researchers themselves rethink and change up their own diet to eliminate the ubiquitous food additive emulsifiers because their research is finding serious adverse impact on the gut lining, I want everyone to rethink their emulsifier intake too, for your gut’s health. Meet here, Dr. Andrew Gewirtz and learn about his important work on Microbiome, Emulsifiers, and their association with IBD and Metabolic Syndrome (defined by NIH as having three or more of these factors or you take drugs to control them: High triglyceride level, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, increased blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, & large waist circumference. How concerned should you be about chowing down emulsifiers? Their connection to gut inflammation and microbiome skew at the mucosal level caused Dr. Gewirtz to eliminate such from his and his family’s diet. One tenet of the healing diets — eliminate processed foods — results in the elimination of emulsifiers. Perhaps it is time to reconsider your emulsifier intake too.
WHY ELIMINATE EMULSIFIERS?
Andrew Gewirtz’s studies in mice show that it is a matter of microbiome and microbes when it comes to emulsifiers in the diet.
Feeding mice emulsifiers altered the microbiota microbiome and Gerwirtz found, for mice, they got:
- IBD (for mice with predisposition to this disease), and
- Low-grade or mild intestinal inflammation and metabolic syndrome for mice having normal immune systems. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by increased levels of food consumption, diabetes, hyperglycemia, elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides. insulin resistance, and obesity. This work supports earlier findings that low-grade inflammation resulting from an altered microbiota can be an underlying cause of excess eating.
- What’s metabolic syndrome? The National Institutes of Health guidelines diagnose metabolic syndrome if you have three or more of these traits or are taking medication to control them:
- Large waist circumference — a waistline that measures at least 35 inches (89 centimeters) for women and 40 inches (102 centimeters) for men,
- High triglyceride level — 150 milligrams per deciliter,(mg/dL), or 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), or higher of this type of fat found in blood,
- Reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — less than 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L) in men or less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) in women of this “good” cholesterol,
- Increased blood pressure — 130/85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher,
- Elevated fasting blood sugar — 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or higher.
Gerwirtz’s study suggests that the current means of testing and approval of food additives may not be adequate to prevent use of chemicals that promote diseases driven by low-grade inflammation and/or which will cause disease primarily in susceptible hosts. Actually though, you know by now that low grade inflammation is synonymous with many diseases, and many diseases have signature microbiomes. If you don’t — check out the drop down menu over on the right side bar to see your disease of interest.
Next up for Gewirtz’s animal microbiome emulsifiers findings — these studies are now being extended to human trials led by researcher Dr. Gary Wu, University of Pennsylvania
I am looking forward to the human data. A simulation of emulsifiers in the human gut performed in Belgium has confirmed the inflammation increase observed in the mice. If similar results are obtained in the human trials, such would indicate that emulsifiers play a role in driving the epidemic of obesity, its inter-related consequences and a range of diseases associated with chronic gut inflammation.
Microbiome dysbiosis cause and effect at this time is not clear. Dysbiosis might cause disease as researchers learn more about how the microbiota can influence the host, but diseased states can also lead to changes to the microbiota. Some mechanisms include the addition of medications such as antibiotics as well as microbiome changes resulting from eating habits [think about the emulsifier additives discussed in this post] and bowel function [IBS, SIBO…]. -The gut microbiome in health and in disease, 2016
New restrictions on common ubiquitous emulsifiers would require food processors to scramble for alternatives to maintain texture, appearance, and quality of their foods and beverages; or we get use to understanding what real unadulterated food is supposed to look like… we learn to stir our peanut butter… This is beginning to sound similar to the death knell of trans-fat elimination from countless products.
What are emulsifiers?
Gerwirtz explains: Emulsifiers are a common class of food additives in virtually all processed food. Many are chemicals, and many are synthetic meaning they do not exist in nature such as carboxomethylcellous and polysorbate 80 . They improve texture but mainly their main role is to increase shelf life. Emulsifiers stabilize mixtures (prevents ice crystals for ice cream, keeps cookies or bread soft, salad dressings and other liquids stay blended that otherwise would separate, etc… ) and they are detergents. -Gewirtz interview, the American Microbiome Institute, Episode 3:Emulsifiers in our food with Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, March 2015. Actually, emulsifiers are only one type of food additive; for a complete listing of emulsifiers see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21.
Many components in the food system instigate gut inflammation
Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (25), colorectal cancer (26), obesity (27), and diabetes (28) as well as cardiovascular disease, IBS, IBD, Clostridium difficile infection have now been associated with microbiome skew.
It only makes sense to look at your diet and rethink those dietary components now known to cause gut inflammation. Some components of diet found associated with gut inflammation in susceptible animal models was summarized in the study, Reciprocal Interaction of Diet and Microbiome in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Such included certain types of higher fat (palm, soy and other fats are discussed here — PUFA Omega-6 corn oil was used in this researcher’s work, see full text study here), as well as the Gerwirtz emulsifier studies (the focus of this post), and the artificial sweetener studies. Most all of these can be reasonably eliminated and substituted with anti-inflammatory choices. You can read about the soybean oil, vegetable oil, and corn oil connection to diabetes and metabolic syndrome here. The type of fat consumed and the connection to breast cancer diagnosis can be read here. The conclusions of those posts is that until the dust settles on fat types and disease… just use oils having long term non controverted known benefit such as EVOO (be certain it is not adulterated with the soybean, corn and vegetable oils — see those posts for listings).
Gut inflammatory food substrates are so ubiquitous in today’s food system that It has come to the point that label reading, though it takes time, is worthwhile. Decrease inflammatory instigation in the gut by choosing foods containing ingredients so that you know what they are.
Eating out at restaurants? Why would you drop $20/meal to eat a lot of ingredients that are going to inflame your gut? Choose raw produce for salads including avocado and hard boiled eggs, bring your own EVOO salad based dressing, and tell them to cook your meat/fish using only EVOO. Update: I did not include chicken. Why? Most have non-SCD broth injection. You can go so far as to bring your own seasonings and sea salt to eliminate the anti-clumping additives of their spice blends and spice powders such as garlic powder and onion powder.
Meet the FATS & Best Salad Dressing Oil, Part1
SUMMARY: The focus of this post is to better your understanding of vegetable oils and unsaturated fats. Raw vegetable salads are chock-full of important vitamins and nutrients, but the latest science says you won’t get much benefit without eating them along with both the right type & amount of fat. In fact, essentially no or very low absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads with fat-free salad dressing were consumed (see this study or this study, Table 3.)
In this post learn: the preferred fat/oil for best carotenoid absorption (spoiler alert: that would be unadulterated, organic, and cold pressed EVOO brands which are listed in the UC Davis pdf report here — scroll down to the lightbulb for more details), that you can actually ditch dressing and instead add half an avocado, or you can add cooked eggs to an incredibly small amount of dressing to even further boost carotenoid absorption. Make certain you consider the sections entitled What inhibits Carotenoid Absorption for possible impact due to your particular health status, and the tips for Decoding Labels.
Ummm… all those low or fat-free eaters, listen up…. Ends up, fat really does matter when it comes to carotenoid absorption as this Purdue University study shows. Bonus: You are going to learn fatty acids (and those not healthy) in this post. Use this to choose the fat/oils you want in all your foods, not just salad dressings.
Ingesting healthy fat is absolutely critical to your health as You need fat to absorb fat soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E, Carotenoids, CDC nutrition report)
If you use diet to avoid or battle chronic disease, you’d better be absorbing it’s micronutrients and antioxidants; thus the point of this post focusing on fats/oils and carotenoid absorption.
Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet is the answer to reducing, managing, and even reversing chronic disease. Through diet we increase anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids, decrease inflammatory (Omega-6 fatty acids, and food intolerances), and increase fruits and vegetables to increase antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. High quality meat, grains, and diary have a place in a nutrient dense diet, but this post is about cold use oils and maximizing nutrient and antioxidant absorption from uncooked produce.
The point is to reduce your risk of chronic disease that shortens lifespans and to live with vitality. The lifespans of babies born today are shorter than their parents, and the diseases affecting men and women, are devastating lives, families, and incomes. What diseases?Ages 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 are shown in the below slides & are telling:
3 Dietary Factors Deliver 80% of value in terms of disease risk and body composition.
Dr. Peter Attia, M.D. (mechanical engineer ⇒ Stanford MD ⇒ surgical oncology fellow ⇒ healthcare consultant ⇒ NUSI (founder with mission to answer with scientific certainty through the best possible research— what we need to eat to be healthy questioning current guidelines — check out NUSI NEWS page) has gone so far as to say, “My point: Just modifying your diet by the 3 factors I mention in this post:
16S rRNA challenges healthy vaginal microbiome; ferments & coconut oil rock!
SUMMARY: Incredulously, the latest 16S rRNA research now challenges what was thought for years to be a ‘protective,’ ‘normal,’ and healthy vaginal microbiome. Our many microbiomes ideally are “inherited” and originate from our passage through the vagina, and yet it seems a ‘healthy’ and ‘normal’ vaginal microbiome has been elusive; in fact, many women have a compromised vaginal microbiome and many are asymptomatic, or perhaps not…
16S rRNA now proves the notion of a Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiome as ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ is overly simplistic and is giving way to an appreciation of diverse and dynamic bacterial communities. Indeed, the composition and stability of the vaginal microbiome varies by race, age, even within an individual—and it’s quickly become clear that the formula for a “normal,” “healthy” microbial community cannot be computed by ratios of bacterial species. In fact, there is a racial difference in the vaginal environment and the microbial [community] in parallel. Thus, it is time to learn what a ‘normal‘ and ‘healthy’ vaginal microbiome looks like, and if you read this post, you’ll know more than your doctor at your next exam! This 16S rRNA study title says it all: “The vaginal microbiome: rethinking health and diseases.
Yep, we’re going there folks… and men pay attention, if not for yourself… your significant other, daughters, and future children will love you for this information!
The whole foods and lubricant take on vaginal health
I was surprised by the number of women I work with who report that a whole foods diet (such includes live probiotics) along with toxin eliminations (a big change relative to vaginal health I would imagine is ditching personal lubricants and instead use coconut oil), were actually resolving many vajayjay issues. I am talking all ages…. bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast, discomfort during togetherness, vaginal atrophy, dry vagina… and I mean resolved to the point where prescription and estrogen based suppositories were no longer needed!
Granted, this is anecdotal, but the numbers don’t lie. Curiosity got the best of me, and I learned there is real science that supports my observations relative to vaginal microbiome. Also worth noting: one lubricant, K-Y®Jelly differs regionally in ingredient formulation and composition. Just to repeat: K-Y® Jelly ingredients differs worldwide — I find that incredibly odd, don’t you?!? That’s just one more reason to distrust and ditch such, just saying…
Defining a “healthy” vaginal microbiome is elusive as it can look like it is on the verge of chronic disease…“These findings challenge the common wisdom that the occurrence of high numbers of lactobacilli and a vaginal pH <4.5 is synonymous with ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’.”
What is a ‘healthy’ vaginal microbiome (or gut… or any other microbiome for that matter) is not really known:
In the third trimester, the vaginal microbiome changes and ends up looking like the microbiomes of people with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by obesity, high blood sugar and a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. This microbiome community might indicate someone on the verge of chronic disease — or merely motherhood. But think about it… packing fat and building up blood sugar really does make perfect sense when nourishing a growing fetus [and I add, prepping for breast milk production]. -Of the bugs that shape us: maternal obesity, the gut microbiome, and long-term disease risk, and
Alzheimer’s, dementia, common medications increase risk
SUMMARY: Alzheimer’s, dementia, common medications increase risk; many medications have anticholinergic effects. Three most commonly used in elderly were associated with irreversible brain impact (dementia and Alzheimer’s) and despite knowledge of the need for reducing such use, 3/4 of the study cohort had been prescribed at least one (antihistamine, acid reducers, antidepressant…).
UPDATE: This post addresses the adverse cognitive impact in the elderly of common drugs due to anticholinergic effects. There is however another mechanism for dementia and Alzheimer’s. The later post, HEARTBURN DRUGS, DEMENTIA, ALZHEIMER’S RISK FOR ALL? T2D, IS IT THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE!?! addresses this other mechanism for dementia and Alzheimer’s for common heartburn drugs (microbiome skew and B12 (and other) nutrient depletion) for proton pump inhibitors (PPIS) and Histamine H2 antagonists (H2RAs) .
The goal of diet and lifestyle modifications
Reducing and/or eliminating medications using diet and lifestyle changes that improves health and immunity often times resolves disease symptoms; this is one goal of my awareness efforts. The unknowns of long term medication exposure(s) has always concerned me as studies are sorely lacking.
Is it really possible that diet and lifestyle changes can allow one to move off mediation? This UMass study showed success for 24 IBD patients eating a whole foods diet which follows the guidelines of a slightly modified SCD diet. Conclusion: “The SCD modified dietary protocol can be used as an adjunctive or alternative therapy for the treatment of IBD. Notably, 9 out of 11 patients were able to be managed without anti-TNF therapy, and 100% of the patients had their symptoms reduced. When you can take someone who can not digest (these folks were seriously ill long term) and turn health around to the point of not needing TNF medications, I don’t know how much more evidence you need that such is possible. See the post, FOOD MANAGING IBD & AUTISM: THE STUDIES, for more details of the diet UMass used with a focus on autism and IBD.
Commonly used medications are found to be associated wtih dementia and Alzheimer’s in the elderly
The study (just published Jan., 2015) Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia exemplifies the long term medication exposure(s) concern as it is the first to show a dose response (for either higher doses or for a longer usage time) linking more risk for developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, due to use of three common anticholinergic medications: tricyclic antidepressants, first-generation antihistamines, and bladder antimuscarinics. “20 to 50% of those 65 years of age or older use at least one medication with some anticholinergic activities.3,5–8 –The cognitive impact of anticholinergics: A clinical review
I want to stress that there is no evidence that anticholinergic drugs cause dementia, rather there is an association link.
What are anticholinergic effects, and what are these common medications that have anticholinergic effects?
Anticholinergic effects happen because some medications block the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine in the brain and body. That can cause many side effects, including drowsiness, constipation, retaining urine, and dry mouth and eyes. Older people are more likely to experience anticholinergic effects because the amount of acetylcholine in the body decreases with age or there may be an increase in acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. Consequently, anticholinergic drugs block a higher percentage of acetylcholine so that the aging body is less able to use what little acetylcholine is present. –Aging and Drugs, MERCK Home Manual.
The central nervous system of older patients is very sensitive to the above adverse anticholinergic effects due to the significant decrease in cholinergic neurons or receptors in the brain of older adults, the reduction in hepatic metabolism and renal excretion of medications, and the increase in blood–brain barrier permeability.9 –The cognitive impact of anticholinergics: A clinical review.
Franklin Institute, The Human Brain, provides:
Acetylcholine is the primary chemical carrier of thought and memory. This excitatory neurotransmitter is essential for both the storage and recall of memory, and partly responsible for concentration and focus. It also plays a significant role in muscular coordination . A deficit in acetylcholine is directly related to memory decline and reduced cognitive capacity.
Unlike other key neurotransmitters, acetylcholine is not made from amino acids. Its primary building block is choline, which doesn’t have to compete for entry into your brain. Therefore, the more choline you consume, the more acetylcholine you can produce. Choline belongs to the B family of vitamins and is a fat-like substance that’s necessary to metabolize fats. It is found in lecithin as phosphatidyl choline. Foods high in lecithin include egg yolks, wheat germ, soybeans, organ meats, and whole wheat products.
Roundup in our food glyphosate and disease: autism, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, gmo, intestinal gut…
SUMMARY: Roundup on your yard means runoff in your garden, from you or your neighbors use. It’s ubiquitous in the restaurant and grocery food chain hidden in ingredients: corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed oil, and meat from alfalfa-corn-soy eating animals and their other byproducts. It’s found in our urine and breast-milk and cattle’s tissues: intestine, liver, muscle, spleen, kidney, and bone .
What’s the harm of eating ubiquitous glyphosate? Dr. Stephanie Seneff asserts that the glyphosate and disease link is: autism, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and the gmo intestinal gut having related digestive system disorders leading to disease… In simpleton, glyphosate exposure impairs detox pathways through the microbiome including the liver’s P450 enzymes. Toxins taken onboard are not sufficiently eliminated from the body. Gyphosate kills beneficial gut bacteria allowing pathogens to grow; it interferes with the synthesis of amino acids including methionine which leads to shortages in critical neurotransmitters and folate; it chelates (removes) important minerals like iron, cobalt, manganese, and much more.